Huawei Ghana's Seeds for the Future Programme honours female students
Ms. Grace Ayittey has been recognized as the Overall Best Student in this year's Huawei Seeds for the Future Programme, standing out among 40 accomplished female tertiary students who successfully completed the programme. The awards ceremony took place last Friday in Accra.
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Ms. Ayittey's group also achieved distinction by winning the Best Tech4Good Project Award with their innovative Smartmeds App.
In an interview following her recognition, which included a cash prize of GHS4,000, as well as Huawei gadgets and a certificate, Ms. Ayittey expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to deepen her knowledge of technology.
Second and third place in the contest were secured by Ms. Martina Gapha and Farida Yussif, who received cash prizes of GHS3,000 and GHS2,000, respectively.
The awards ceremony marked the culmination of Huawei's commitment to empower and educate 70 female university students through its Seeds for the Future Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. The initiative aimed to nurture local talent, share knowledge, raise awareness, and inspire enthusiasm for the ICT sector. This year's program ran from September 4 to September 11, 2023, with the mentorship program and closing ceremony taking place on September 15, 2023.
Of the 70 students initially selected for various ICT training courses, approximately 40 female tertiary students graduated in this year's cohort. Participants underwent an intensive eight-day training and mentoring program, which included career development courses.
Deputy Minister of Communications, Ama Pomaa Boateng, delivered the keynote speech on behalf of the sector minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful. She highlighted the critical role of ICT in addressing skill gaps among youth and urged investment in ICT-based solutions for sectors such as telemedicine, agriculture, and healthcare.
Mrs. Boateng emphasized the importance of prioritizing ICT programs in schools to unearth more Ghanaian talents in the field and encouraged the 2023 cohort of the 'Seeds for the Future program to apply their training effectively.
The Deputy Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, reiterated the government's commitment to making ICT learning conducive for students seeking careers in the field. She stressed the importance of ICT in resolving real-time problems in education, healthcare, and communications.
Mr. Kweku Essuman Quansah, Deputy Managing Director of Huawei Ghana, noted that the Seeds for the Future program has trained 80,000 young women in relevant ICT courses over the past two years, aiming to address industry skills gaps.
Overall, 70 female university students participated in an eight-day intensive online training, covering ICT and STEM-related courses, 5G, AI, Digital Power, and Cloud Computing, alongside leadership development. They also received mentorship and career guidance from experienced industry professionals.
Outstanding students from this year's cohort received cash prizes, certificates and ICT equipment from Huawei Ghana.